Salem district
| subdivision_type1 = State | subdivision_name1 = Tamil Nadu | subdivision_type2 = Metro | subdivision_name2 = | subdivision_type3 = Municipal Corporations | subdivision_name3 = Salem | subdivision_type4 = Municipalities | subdivision_name4 = | subdivision_type5 = Town Panchayats | subdivision_name5 = | established_title = | established_date = | founder = | named_for = | parts_type = Talukas | parts = Attur, Edappadi, Gangavalli, Mettur, Omalur, Salem, Sangagiri, valapady, yercaud. | seat_type = Capital | seat = | seat_type = Headquarters | seat = Salem | government_type = | governing_body = | leader_title1 = Collector | leader_name1 = K Maharabhushanam, IAS | unit_pref = Metric | area_footnotes = | area_rank = | area_total_km2 = | elevation_footnotes = | elevation_m = | population_total = | population_as_of = 2011 | population_rank = | population_density_km2 = auto | population_demonym = | population_footnotes = | demographics_type1 = Languages | demographics1_title1 = Official | demographics1_info1 = Tamil | timezone1 = IST | utc_offset1 = +5:30 | postal_code_type = PIN | postal_code = 636xxx | area_code_type = Telephone code | area_code = 0427 | iso_code = ISO 3166-2:IN | registration_plate = TN-30/54www.tn.gov.in | blank1_name_sec1 = IUCN category | blank1_info_sec1 = | blank2_name_sec1 = Central location: | blank2_info_sec1 = | website = | footnotes = }} Salem District is a district of Tamil Nadu state in southern India. The city of Salem is the district headquarters. Other major towns in the district are Mettur, Omalur and Attur. The district is well connected by rail and road networks. Salem district is known for its mangoes, steel and for the Mettur dam, which is a major source of irrigation and drinking water for the state of Tamil Nadu. History The culture of the region including Salem district dates back to the ancient Kongu Nadu. Salem was the largest district in Tamil Nadu before it was divided into two districts: Salem and Dharmapuri. Later, Salem district was again divided with the formation of the Namakkal district. The first cinema theater named Modern Theaters was in Salem . Salem city, the seat of the district, is the fourth most urbanized city in Tamil Nadu (following Chennai, Coimbatore, and Madurai). Geography Located approximately midway between Mysore and Madurai, Salem district is surrounded by hills. Yercaud, a mild-weather hill station, is an important tourism destination in the district. Hills *Nagaramalai *Jarugumalai *Kanjamalai *Godumalai *Kalrayan Hills *Pachaimalai *Shervaroyan Hills *Eastern Ghats *Sankagiri malai *paala malai Rivers *Kaveri *Thirumanimuthar *Vasishta Nadi *Sarabanga Nadi Minerals *Iron *Magnasite *Lignite *Steel Arts and culture Modern Theatres was started by T R Sundaram in 1937, soon after the era of silent films ended in the South Indian film industry. It was built on nearly nine acres of land at the foot of the picturesque Yercaud hills. Sundaram was able to access verdant and beautiful shooting sites for his films, all within a 50 km radius of his studios. He was also able to hire cheap and efficient labour in lightboys and cameramen to assist in the production of his films. He produced nearly 117 films in Tamil, Hindi, Kannada, Telugu, Sinhalese and other languages. Most of them were box office hits and he is credited with bringing to stardom writer M Karunanidhi and actors such as M G Ramachandran, M N Nambiar and Jayashankar to films. After Sundaram's death in the 1970s, his son continued his tradition, shooting cowboy remake films with actor Jayashankar in the lead roles. However by then, the focus of the south Indian movie industry had shifted to studios in Chennai. After the younger Sundaram died, his widow Kalavani gave the studios to building promoters in 2004. The studios were demolished entirely, save for a small signpost and the gigantic stone arch with the Modern Theatres sign. The arch serves as the entrance to a township of bungalows and small flats known as Sundaram Gardens. Administration Taluks Salem district has nine Taluks. *Attur *Edappadi *Gangavalli *Mettur *Omalur *Salem *Sankagiri *Valapady *Yercaud Education Salem educational institutions include government schools, arts and science colleges, engineering colleges like the Government College of Engineering, Sona College of Technology and Thiagarajar polytechnic college. Salem has two universities - Periyar University and Vinayaka Missions University. There are several medical schools (including dental, homeopathy, Siddha, yogic and aturopathy colleges). There are CBSE schools and international schools in Salem. Some of the schools in Salem are St.joseph's, Vedha Viyas, Vedha Vikas, Holy Cross, Holy Angels and Cluny. Industries Salem is famous for its SAIL (Steel Authority of India Limited) steel company near Salem, MALCO (Madras Aluminum Company Limited), Chemplast Sanmar Limited (a chemicals manufacturer) at Mettur Dam and JSW Steel company at Potaneri near Mettur Dam. Rowsons power and distribution transformers are playing a prominent role on development of these industries. Mangoes are cultivated, especially the Malgova variety. Mettur dam Thermal Power station is located about 50 km from Salem. Demographics According to the 2011 census Salem district has a population of 3,480,008, roughly equal to the nation of Panama or the US state of Connecticut. This gives it a ranking of 89th in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of . Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 15.37%. Salem has a sex ratio of 954 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 73.23%. It had a population of 3,480,008 as of the census of 2011. It is 46.09% urbanised.Census 2001 The district has a literacy rate of 73.23%. References External links *Salem District Category:Salem district Category:Districts of Tamil Nadu